Sheffield MPs idea to reopen three stations in the Sheffield area

[WestRiding]

As its looking highly unlikely the Hope Valley scheme is going to happen, the local MPs clearly have a good imagination to believe that a few stations on the line out of Sheffield could be reopening.

Three Sheffield railway stations could reopen, as people are asked to have their say

Three railway stations in Sheffield could reopen, with people being asked to have their say about the exciting proposals.

www-thestar-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org

Sheffield MPs Olivia Blake and Louise Haigh are seeking a slice of the Government’s £500 million Restoring Your Railway Fund, which was set up to reverse the notorious Dr Beeching cuts of the 1960s and 70s

Sheffield Heeley MP Ms Haigh, and Ms Blake, MP for Sheffield Hallam, have previously told how restoring services along Sheaf Valley would ‘transform links from south and south-west Sheffield to the city centre and Manchester, provide greener links to the Peak District and cut congestion on busy routes including Abbeydale Road and Ecclesall Road.

 

[_toommm_]

As its looking highly unlikely this scheme is going to happen, the local MPs clearly have a good imagination to believe that a few stations on the line out of Sheffield could be reopening.

Three Sheffield railway stations could reopen, as people are asked to have their say

Three railway stations in Sheffield could reopen, with people being asked to have their say about the exciting proposals.

www-thestar-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org

Personally I think it would be pretty pointless reopening those stations. With how frequent the 97 and 98 are to Totley/Totley Brook, and the half-hourly 218 (if that still runs down there), the train just couldn’t compete.

 

[WestRiding]

It would need 4 tracking, which means it won't happen. Just some local mp, trying to point score. The service is too intensive down there. EMR and Cross Country, even TP would hate the idea.

 

[Llandudno]

Personally I think it would be pretty pointless reopening those stations. With how frequent the 97 and 98 are to Totley/Totley Brook, and the half-hourly 218 (if that still runs down there), the train just couldn’t compete.

Not sure many people in Totley use the buses though, they are operated by First after all!, they may consider using a train though?

 

[Killingworth]

"It" is not a full blown scheme that has to incorporate all the parts listed.

It needs a new Sheaf Valley speculative ideas thread as this route is the Midland Mainline which will be complicated by HS2 and potential tram or tram/train use of part of the old track bed. That was widened to 4 track from Dore into Sheffield about 1900. It was reduced back to 2 tracks in the 1960s. The remaining tracks were slewed and the up and down Heeley loops use part of the space. The remainder has suffered various encroachments since the 1960s, not least the Tescos store and other buildings built over part of it where Millhouses station would naturally be restored!

 

[21C101]

"It" is not a full blown scheme that has to incorporate all the parts listed.

It needs a new Sheaf Valley speculative ideas thread as this route is the Midland Mainline which will be complicated by HS2 and potential tram or tram/train use of part of the old track bed. That was widened to 4 track from Dore into Sheffield about 1900. It was reduced back to 2 tracks in the 1960s. The remaining tracks were slewed and the up and down Heeley loops use part of the space. The remainder has suffered various encroachments since the 1960s, not least the Tescos store and other buildings built over part of it where Millhouses station would naturally be restored!

I can understand dequadding as an economy measure. But selling off the land?

 

[D365]

I can understand dequadding as an economy measure. But selling off the land?

Sadly so. That section of the line is sandwiched between both the Tesco and a Sainsbury’s superstore. Don’t think there would even be the space to restore the four tracking.

Rather speculative and off-topic however.

 

[sheff1]

If someone doesn't announce it soon we may well wonder what HMG has against Sheffield

Tory governments since Thatcher's day have never liked The People's Republic of South Yorkshire. The feeling is generally mutual, especially in Sheffield where the 'Red Wall' stood firm in the 2019 general election whilst it crumbled all around.

 

[WestRiding]

Tory governments since Thatcher's day have never liked The People's Republic of South Yorkshire. The feeling is generally mutual, especially in Sheffield where the 'Red Wall' stood firm in the 2019 general election whilst it crumbled all around.

Pity most of the resignalling part was in Derbyshire, and one of the new loops too if thats the case.

 

[dosxuk]

I can understand dequadding as an economy measure. But selling off the land?

There was a huge amount of railway land along the Sheaf valley, occupied by goods yards, depots and sidings. Most of the newer looking industrial units along there are all built on former railway land, there's that many it's unsurprising they sold off the land, it would be completely useless these days.

Looking on an aerial map there should be space to put a basic two platform station in the area by buying back a bit of the Tesco car park, with the opposite platform outside home bargains / pure gym. Additional stations though would require four tracking the area, and the millhouses play cafe looks like it's even more in the way than Tesco (it looks to me like there might be enough space with some slewing and replacement of the southern archer road bridge to get four tracks between Tesco and Sainsbury's, it's those buildings nearer the road bridge that would have to go).

 

[unlevel42]

Everybody in Sheffield knows:
that it is built on seven hills- not seven valleys.
that industry and commerce grew in the valley and houses were moved to the hills.
Sheffield has no city centre station.

People will not walk hundreds of metres (past bus stops with very frequent services to the centre) to an isolated, remote and lifeless station with minimal service.
People will not walk uphill from the station to the heart of the city.

The timetables of the past show clearly that very little use was made of its suburban stations*.
The long established bus routes(and demise of some eg 17 and 24 in the Sheaf valley)show were the demand is now and where investment needs to be focused.

*Dore and Meadowhall perform very different functions.

 

[Killingworth]

Everybody in Sheffield knows:
that it is built on seven hills- not seven valleys.
that industry and commerce grew in the valley and houses were moved to the hills.
Sheffield has no city centre station.

People will not walk hundreds of metres (past bus stops with very frequent services to the centre) to an isolated, remote and lifeless station with minimal service.
People will not walk uphill from the station to the heart of the city.

The timetables of the past show clearly that very little use was made of its suburban stations*.
The long established bus routes(and demise of some eg 17 and 24 in the Sheaf valley)show were the demand is now and where investment needs to be focused.

*Dore and Meadowhall perform very different functions.

In the interests of fair play, I'd point out that Chapeltown is Sheffield"s third busiest station with 307k passengers compared with Dore's 219k.. But like Meadowhall and Dore it's far enough from the centre for the journey to be very competive with a bus.

I'd also point out that Chapeltown has a half hourly service that runs much better to time than the hourly service from Dore that currently isn't and doesn't. Several gaps in the hourly service, including one of as much as 2 hours 33 minutes out if Sbeffid in an evening, and in the worst 200 stations in the country for punctuality.

Meadowhall is now the South Yorksire shopping magnet, served by hourly trains from nearby Dronfield as well as Chapeltown. TPE South Pennine hourly trains serve Meadowhall and Dore. BUt they don't stop at Dore to suit workers and shoppers at Meadowhall. Commuters to Manchester in the mornings and returning in the evenings, yes.Which is why local users hope the MPs submission might at least get some attention given to improving all of that.

At which point we're diving off into what should be a separate thread for the Sheaf Valley stations restoration bid.

 

[21C101]

Personally I think the sheaf valley should never have been dequadded but reopening the sheaf valley stations would take away most of the benefits of dequadding.

Most of the inner London stations such as Finchley Road, Haverstock Hill, Camden Road etc on the Midland Main Line would never have been closed so fast once tramways ate into the revenue if they hadn't been such a thundering operational nuisance, taking up disproportionate capacity on the busy approaches to St Pancras, and I would imagine reopening the Sheaf Valley stations would be viewed simirlarly dimly.

 

[Killingworth]

This project is growing. It's now to restore stations in the Sheaf Valley. Reopening 3 stations, at Heeley, Millhouses and Beauchief, expanding almost closed Dore & Totley, and opening a new station at Totley Brook (which is actually beside the Old Hay Brook).

The story was front page in today's Sheffield Star and pages 8 and 9. See; https://www.thestar.co.uk/business/...-call-for-vital-upgrades-in-sheffield-3161414

It's too long to copy into here and it's also long on ambition. Shame one of the pictures is of Tesco's and other smaller buildings obstructing the former 4 track section where Millhouses station and depot used to be but the caption calls it Sainsbury's.

 

[ricoblade]

Everybody in Sheffield knows:
that it is built on seven hills- not seven valleys.
that industry and commerce grew in the valley and houses were moved to the hills.
Sheffield has no city centre station.

People will not walk hundreds of metres (past bus stops with very frequent services to the centre) to an isolated, remote and lifeless station with minimal service.
People will not walk uphill from the station to the heart of the city.

The timetables of the past show clearly that very little use was made of its suburban stations*.
The long established bus routes(and demise of some eg 17 and 24 in the Sheaf valley)show were the demand is now and where investment needs to be focused.

*Dore and Meadowhall perform very different functions.

Agreed and that's why I think a tram/tram-train for the Sheaf Valley makes the most sense. Let it run on the rail alignment down the valley and then connect into the city centre and beyond.

P.S.
It's a bit of a myth that Sheffield is built on 7 hills (and I say this as a Sheffielder). There are 5 primary rivers plus various brooks and you can get it to 8 but not 7.

 

[johnnychips]

The valley bottom is occupied by warehousing, supermarkets, depots and parks. As has been frequently mentioned, the bus services are still quite good. Although there can be a bit of traffic on the roads in the peak times, it’s not that bad.

 

[tbtc]

I've been underwhelmed by Blake as an MP but at least she's turning up and occasionally making the right noises about things - the bar was pretty low after the previous Labour MP for her constituency, the Missing In Action Jared O'Mara

I'm not fussed about this proposal though - I suppose that Labour MPs have got to try to be seen to bid for cash, in a world where the Government's priorities for regeneration are places like Richmond in North Yorkshire. But it seems a poor use of scarce paths out of Sheffield Midland - any seat used for a five minute journey to Heeley is a seat that could have been used for someone travelling much further.

There's also the problem that one of two trains per hour in an urban area will struggle to compete with buses - look at how quiet Woodhouse and Darnall are (an hourly train but the competing bus service into Sheffield is every five minutes and actually serves the city centre rather than Sheffield Midland)

The only thing that would get me in favour would be if we found money for a mega-plan that extended all local services from the north through to new terminal platforms at Dore (to free up platform space at Midland) - so that the new "local" stations would have a good frequency - but that's pie in the sky stuff!

Personally I think the sheaf valley should never have been dequadded but reopening the sheaf valley stations would take away most of the benefits of dequadding.

Most of the inner London stations such as Finchley Road, Haverstock Hill, Camden Road etc on the Midland Main Line would never have been closed so fast once tramways ate into the revenue if they hadn't been such a thundering operational nuisance, taking up disproportionate capacity on the busy approaches to St Pancras, and I would imagine reopening the Sheaf Valley stations would be viewed simirlarly dimly.

Agreed on both parts - I'd rather have "quadding" than building local stations on the twin track line

Tory governments since Thatcher's day have never liked The People's Republic of South Yorkshire. The feeling is generally mutual, especially in Sheffield where the 'Red Wall' stood firm in the 2019 general election whilst it crumbled all around.

Well, (given that Penistone & Stocksbridge and Rother Valley both went blue) Orgreave and Ecclesfield now have Tory MPs, which would have been unthinkable a generation ago

The long established bus routes(and demise of some eg 17 and 24 in the Sheaf valley)show were the demand is now and where investment needs to be focused

The 24 is essentially now the 97 and the 17 the 98, from Totley/ Totley Brook as far as Wicker Arches anyhow

The bus services are much more frequent as far as Woodseats Road, given that the population density becomes a lot lower along the A621 through Millhouses etc

 

[Killingworth]

The title to this thread may be misleading. It's potentially more ambitious than reopening 3 stations. The Star's article says "Three MPs, city council leader Bob Johnson and city region mayor Dan Jarvis have thrown their support behind a bid for four new stations and two new tracks on the Sheaf Valley line to the south of the city."

That would be three stations for reopening (Heeley, Millhouses and Beauchief) and a new station at Totley Brook. It also includes restoring 4 platforms at Dore and Totley station which currently has one (since 1985) and had only two of the original 4 after 1969 when the other stations suggested for reopening were closed.

4 tracking is a fine idea from Dore and through the old Beauchief site, but comes to grief immediately it passes the southern Archer Road bridge and finds the Tesco bottleneck which restricts options to only 3 safely distanced tracks. North of the northern Archer Road bridge the trackbed is clearer, although part into Sheffield is already occupied by the Heeley up and down loops. At Heeley the two removed girder bridges across London Road could be restored, but the road was lowered there to allow the railway to pass over and it often floods. The other two bridges suffered from vehicle strikes. Ideally all 4 tracks should be lifted and that would need a long stretch of track as well to achieve it!

Bring HS2 into the picture and that is already planned to require a third track. Electrification could potentially require all the bridges from Dore into and in Sheffield Midland to be raised.3 slewed tracks might be able to avoid that for some of them.

The entire Sheaf valley corridor needs to be fully appraised. There are frequent bus services along almost parallel Abbeydale Road from Totley Brook into the city. They get more frequent the closer in they get and the places they stop are also more numerous than any trains.

If this project gets off the ground I can see a tram solution being proposed. Possibly a single track out to Millhouses on the railway configuration (although I can't see many stops along that stretch, even at Heeley) then cutting up to run along the road out to the Totley area. If it ran into the city centre by the Cathedral it could be successful - and would cost an absolute fortune!

4 platforms at Dore would be a lot less difficult to build because the tracks are already there, though not as easy as it may look. Until we see how loadings hold up after Covid, and how successful 2 platforms will be after 2023, that aspect of the submission may not go too far just yet. I suspect the major TOCs would be unhappy about congestion caused by more stopping trains - they are already at Dronfield and Chesterfield. .

The only thing that would get me in favour would be if we found money for a mega-plan that extended all local services from the north through to new terminal platforms at Dore (to free up platform space at Midland) - so that the new "local" stations would have a good frequency - but that's pie in the sky stuff!

There isn't currently enough space for that, but an extra terminal siding south of Twentywell Lane might be created. It might just be possible to extend a narrow new terminal platform between the Hope Valley and MML tracks north of the station. 4 track all the way into the centre and fine, it could work.

Demolish Tesco's and build a new store for them and the other displaced businesses above the restored tracks and have the Heeley station there. By the time this plan gets anywhere near construction Tesco's will be wanting to totally revamp their current store anyway.

 

[Martin23230]

Surely the natural place to terminate services would be at Totley Brook? There's a reasonable amount of width there thanks to an old siding east of the signal box, which is presumably where they're planning to put the station.



In my mind this makes much more sense as a tram-train project rather than heavy rail. Crayon time: start services at Totley Bridge, connect at D&T and then run up the four-tracked valley, then come off to the west just before Midland opposite Sheffield College. This would be the perfect place to join the re-located tram line to the west of the station, as proposed by the station-area masterplan.



Once you pass through the centre of the city you continue the tram-train service north-west on the existing tram line and then all the way to Rotherham Parkgate (and possibly further). There you go, a fully joined-up tram-train service. Add to that a restored Chesterfield-Victoria-Stocksbrige service via the Don Valley and Barrow Hill lines, with an interchange at Nunnary Square, and you have a real suburban network for Sheffield, its suburbs and surrounding towns - entirely using existing lines and mostly avoiding any extra pressure on Midland station.

Do I expect all of this will happen together? Probably not, it's a lot to ask for. But there are several exciting schemes in the Sheffield area, and there's an opportunity to join them together into a pretty impressive network.

 

[Killingworth]

Surely the natural place to terminate services would be at Totley Brook? There's a reasonable amount of width there thanks to an old siding east of the signal box, which is presumably where they're planning to put the station.

View attachment 92358

In my mind this makes much more sense as a tram-train project rather than heavy rail. Crayon time: start services at Totley Bridge, connect at D&T and then run up the four-tracked valley, then come off to the west just before Midland opposite Sheffield College. This would be the perfect place to join the re-located tram line to the west of the station, as proposed by the station-area masterplan.

View attachment 92359

Once you pass through the centre of the city you continue the tram-train service north-west on the existing tram line and then all the way to Rotherham Parkgate (and possibly further). There you go, a fully joined-up tram-train service. Add to that a restored Chesterfield-Victoria-Stocksbrige service via the Don Valley and Barrow Hill lines, with an interchange at Nunnary Square, and you have a real suburban network for Sheffield, its suburbs and surrounding towns - entirely using existing lines and mostly avoiding any extra pressure on Midland station.

Do I expect all of this will happen together? Probably not, it's a lot to ask for. But there are several exciting schemes in the Sheffield area, and there's an opportunity to join them together into a pretty impressive network.

Although the points remain the old siding at Totley Brook has been lifted. It faces away from Sheffield and slopes down from almost road level alongside the gardens of Grove Road. To turn that siding round would require a lot of earthwork close to houses. There's very little room for a platform(s) without a train blocking freight movements towards Dore West Junction and a reversing movement would complicate those paths.

As has been explained previously there is no longer room for 4 tracks between the two Archer Road bridges and Tesco's and Sainsbury's where Millhouses station and depot used to be. What space remains is reserved for a 3rd track for HS2. A 4th track from the currently under used Park & Ride site next to Tesco's into Sheffield could be possible. Whether the tram could be swung onto Abbeydale Road from there to Totley is a challenging next question.

My understanding is that SYPTE and Sheffield City Region may prefer a tram based solution.

 

[Killingworth]

Here on the ground contractors Volker/Story JV are now working out of a preliminary site on the Dore/Bradway railway triangle and making final preparations to establish a bigger work site before the main contract starts in April. There's a Community Information Event on Tuesday 16th November at Abbeydale Sports Club from 17.30 to 20.00.

Meanwhile the Sheaf Valley Stations application to the Restoring your Railway Fund has not been accepted. The separate thread for that is now closed ( https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...-three-stations-in-the-sheffield-area.214893/ but the optimistic idea will not die. It would severely complicate matters down the Sheaf Valley, not least at Dore!

See today's Sheffield Star article, page 7; https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/tran...ons-in-sheffield-fails-in-funding-bid-3445610

Sheaf Valley line: plan to reopen Millhouses, Heeley, and Beauchief stations in Sheffield fails in funding bid

Plans to reopen long-closed stations on Sheffield’s Sheaf Valley line have suffered a major setback, but backers have vowed not to give up.​

By Robert Cumber
Thursday, 4th November 2021, 5:09 pm

Campaigners are seeking to reopen stations at Millhouses, Heeley, and Beauchief, expand Dore & Totley station, and build a new station at Totley Brook to improve train services in Sheffield’s suburbs.
They are having to look elsewhere after failing to secure money in the latest round of the Government’s £500 million Restoring Your Railway Fund scheme to take the proposals forward.
But they are determined not to give up and say they are pursuing other sources of funding to make the plans a reality.
Labour MPs Olivia Blake, Louise Haigh and Paul Blomfield, who submitted the plans in March, say they were told funding was not being made available despite the plans being ‘suitable in principle’ and a ‘strong case’ being made for restoring services on the line.
Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake said: “I am really disappointed our bid hasn’t been successful this time round - despite the Department informing us we had a strong case for developing the Sheaf Valley.

What happens next with plans for new stations on Sheaf Valley line?“ ​

“We are not giving up there - this is just the beginning. We have asked for any further feedback about the bid and we will be looking for different sources of funding in the next couple of months.​

“But the Government must step up too and provide proper pots of funding for green, affordable public transport in areas like Sheffield. Sustainable transportation is so important, especially with our net-zero commitments.
“Only by improving our rail networks - including providing the £39bn previously promised for Northern Powerhouse Rail, and supporting transformative projects like ours - will we be able to truly ‘level-up’, reduce life threatening levels of air pollution and tackle the climate and ecological emergency.”
Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh said it was ‘encouraging’ that the Government found they had a strong case, while Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield said it was ‘disappointing’ the bid had been rejected when it could make a ‘big contribution’ towards improving air quality in the area.
The MPs said they would look at alternative funding sources including the Levelling Up Fund and the Union Connectivity Review Fund. In a letter to the MPs, transport minister Chris Heaton-Harris wrote: “Our discussion and assessment found that your proposal may be suitable for Restoring Your Railway funding in principle. However, due to the volume of strong applications received in this Ideas Fund round and the limited funding available, we are not able to recommend that your proposal progress to the next stage at this time.”
He said this was the last round of the Ideas Fund for the ‘foreseeable future’ but that the proposal made a ‘good case for future development’ and would be kept under review for potential funding as part of the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP) initiative.
The scheme had the backing of, among others, South Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis, Sheffield City Council and The Star.
A grant was last week awarded to develop plans to restore the Don Valley line between Sheffield city centre and Stocksbridge, while the proposed new Barrow Hill line to Chesterfield, stopping at Darnall, the Advanced Manufacturing Park, Woodhouse and other new stations, also previously secured funding.

 

[InOban]

One of the presentations at the PWI meeting on NPR/TRU (they're all on YouTube ) suggested that they were looking to extend the tramtrain towards Doncaster to remove some local services from Midland, because there was otherwise no possibility of increasing the mainline services down the valley.

 

[Killingworth]

One of the presentations at the PWI meeting on NPR/TRU (they're all on YouTube ) suggested that they were looking to extend the tramtrain towards Doncaster to remove some local services from Midland, because there was otherwise no possibility of increasing the mainline services down the valley.

I'd not hold your breath on that one. It's not going to directly impact on services from the Hope Valley down the Sheaf Valley into Sheffield from the south and west. IF, big IF, tram train is extended towards Doncaster, to the east and north of Sheffield, there will be major conflicts to get fast timings for both trams and trains down the Don Valley. That needs a new speculative thread.

 

[Killingworth]

I’m a bit confused by the Hope Valley capacity scheme. What is it seeking to achieve? How fast will journeys between Manchester & Sheffield be? How many more trains per hour can be accommodated?

It will increase the capacity of the route.

It will enable the same number of freight paths to operate with easier access along the Hope Valley and out onto the MML. Note that there are currently many freight paths booked but unused. It's access to and from the Hope Valley line and then the MML when any train is delayed that has knock on effects across the country.

Originally it was envisaged that the scheme would provide two extra fast passenger paths per hour but a third loop at Chinley has been removed from the original plan because it wouldn't be possible to provide the parhs into Manchester in particular, and Sheffield. It should now allow a path for a third fast service, and to permit the stopping service to stop at all stations every hour - currently there are many skip stops and it's not a regular hourly service.

Speed of services is interesting. It won't in itself help trains go appreciably faster anywhere along the route that will deliver a faster journey time. However it should improve reliability of existing journey times. Timetabling depends on interweaving a vast web of conflicting services nationwide.

The fast services face delays beyond the Hope Valley. With better rolling stock, some further line improvements and knitting in with all those other routes converging on Sheffield and Manchester it may be possible to cut up to 5 minutes from end to end journey times. More important for many users is that reliability improves so connections can be better guaranteed. Adding an extra hourly service over the core will also add a safety net when any of the others is severely delayed or cancelled, something that happens too often at present.

 

[evergreenadam]

Tory governments since Thatcher's day have never liked The People's Republic of South Yorkshire. The feeling is generally mutual, especially in Sheffield where the 'Red Wall' stood firm in the 2019 general election whilst it crumbled all around.

In South Yorkshire the Stockbridge and Penistone, Don Valley and Rother Valley seats did crumble, although it was a small contribution to the Tory overall majority compared to some counties.

Yesterday’s Daily Mail trailed the IRP and specifically mentioned the reopening of the line to Stocksbridge as part of the package to offset the abandonment of the eastern leg of HS2.

 

[Killingworth]

In South Yorkshire the Stockbridge and Penistone, Don Valley and Rother Valley seats did crumble, although it was a small contribution to the Tory overall majority compared to some counties.

Yesterday’s Daily Mail trailed the IRP and specifically mentioned the reopening of the line to Stocksbridge as part of the package to offset the abandonment of the eastern leg of HS2.

The line to Stocksbridge is the upper Don Valley to the north of Sheffield where there is now a Tory MP, a small inroad into the red wall.

The Labour MPs idea to reopen Heeley and Millhouses stations, and restore 2 platforms on the MML at Dore, is to the south down the Sheaf Valley.

They are totally different ideas. Sheaf has been kicked out but those MPs aren't giving up. Don has been allowed to progress with the feasibility study. It's a long way from a done deal.

It's certainly true that for decades Sheffield"s red politics has done it no favours when dealing with blue Westminster, although having a yellow deputy PM or red Home Secretary didn't seem to make for greatly more positive outcomes either.

 

[JKF]

It's certainly true that for decades Sheffield"s red politics has done it no favours when dealing with blue Westminster, although having a yellow deputy PM or red Home Secretary didn't seem to make for greatly more positive outcomes either.

Blue Westminster never had anything to gain from investing there, red Westminster would just take the votes for granted and thought nothing to gain either. I think Leeds suffered the same for a long time too (certainly with metro systems). One of the failings of our political system really, too much is invested in retaining power, not what is needed.

Loss of much of HS2 east with a hint at Stocksbridge (no idea how much sincerity behind these ‘restoring your railway’ projects) just feels like crumbs from the table.


On the original subject, is there really not enough space to squeeze four tracks past Tesco? It looks sort of doable from google maps aerial shot but I can’t see the topography, could it work with retaining walls or viaduct type structures? Obviously that adds to the cost considerably…

 

[Killingworth]

Blue Westminster never had anything to gain from investing there, red Westminster would just take the votes for granted and thought nothing to gain either. I think Leeds suffered the same for a long time too (certainly with metro systems). One of the failings of our political system really, too much is invested in retaining power, not what is needed.

Loss of much of HS2 east with a hint at Stocksbridge (no idea how much sincerity behind these ‘restoring your railway’ projects) just feels like crumbs from the table.


On the original subject, is there really not enough space to squeeze four tracks past Tesco? It looks sort of doable from google maps aerial shot but I can’t see the topography, could it work with retaining walls or viaduct type structures? Obviously that adds to the cost considerably…

For those who think it would be easy to relay 4 tracks down the Sheaf Valley follow this driver's view video from 1:04:30. That's from West View Lane bridge into Sheffield. (That's where the new loop is to start on the right hand side to Dore West (new) Junction). There are a lot of Victorian over bridges to be rebuilt just to get in electrification, plus where spans have been removed over roads; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_fEcLVHsWk

The difficulty with this line is its proximity to the River Sheaf as it weaves from one side to the other all the way from Dore into Sheffield. Where the railway crosses over roads clearances were fine for Victorian horses and carts but aren't for modern container wagons. They're only used now by cars and pedestrians. The big one is at Heeley where the A61 road has been lowered below the railway bridges and the outer two spans removed to give more clearance. In times of heavy and prolonged rainfall this part of the road is quite likely to flood - it's not called Heeley Bottom for nothing! Those two spans would have to be reinstated and the trackbed probably raised several feet either side to provide safe modern road clearance. That would probably scupper a rebuilt Heeley station for which there would be limited demand given there are buses into Sheffield city centre every few minutes.

Millhouses might be a good place for a park and ride station, although the current P&R for bus users is not greatly used. Tesco's (and the other smaller modern units) built on the former track bed are a bit of a challenge that the MPs seem to have overlooked. Yes, a third track should squeeze through - although how safe would that be for HS2 using its speed potential?

Behind the trees on the right of the picture below is a large Sainsbury's and other modern buildings line the track side.

In 1997, soon after Tesco's was built, a SYPTE feasibility study was prepared to rebuild and reopen Millhouses station, see; https://www.railwayconsultancy.com/projects/millhouses.php

The Southern suburbs of Sheffield have poor access to the rail network, with only one station in the 12-mile section of the main line between Sheffield and Chesterfield. Car parking at Sheffield station is very limited and that at Chesterfield often over-subscribed. Recent large retail developments have surrounded the former Millhouses station area some three miles South of Sheffield. This has presented the opportunity for dual use of the large car parks by provision of a new integrated rail station with extensive park-and-ride facilities. As the rationalised rail infrastructure South of Sheffield is heavily used, the operational feasibility of the station had to be established, as did the possible type and level of services which might call. The Railway Consultancy's GCOST™ model was used to produce demand forecasts and estimates of modal shift which the station might achieve.

Working with Allott Rail, Railway Consultancy staff were responsible for the rail industry consultation, demand modelling operational feasibility and timetable planning inputs to the study, plus overall project management.

Soon after it was built! Too late. It should have been done before it was built - above the tracks before the trackbed was blocked. Today that store is about 25 years old. Add 10 more years for planning delays and Tesco will be ready to rebuild? Knock heads together and it gets done, or it could get done.



Both Milllhouses and Heeley really need 4 tracking from Dore into Sheffield to avoid blocking longer distance trains. Trams have also been suggested but would encounter similar problems.

Beauchief is hard to justify as there is little housing nearby and all the station yard land has been sold off.

Rebuilding the platforms on the MML at Dore has also been studied. It would be relatively easy to do as the space is still there from the platforms demolished in 1985. There certainly is demand for a more frequent service to and from Sheffield. However it falls foul of MML fast train capacity on 2 tracks into Chesterfield. Those heavy limestone and cement trains slowly coming off the Hope Valley eat up paths - like Castlefield, but possibly worse.